looking for trouble
by Born-to-boogie
Summary: this is the story from when Sharpe enetered the workhouse orphanage upto the point where Lord wellington made him a leiutenant.
1. Alone

Summary: we all know what happened from the day Sharpe saved Wellington's life this is the story of Sharpe's life up to that point.

The small shabby boy of 5 looked up at the man who had beaten and bullied him and his mother their whole lives until last week when his mother had finally given up her poor excuse for a life, He looked up at the gates of the large grey building not knowing what to expect once he entered them, The man who rang the bell on the outside wall and then scarpered, leaving the boy alone to face the music of whoever answered his call.

"What der yer want?" a large woman dressed in a variety of greys and beiges spat at him.

"Me mothers dead miss, I was brought here and told to wait till someone answered." He whispered.

"I best go and fetch the warden he'll know what to do with you" She said a bit softer this time "wait there and don't run off yer won't get far" She ordered.

The child crouched down and sat on the dirty pavement flags and waited for what seemed to him a very long time but in reality had only been 5 or 10 minutes. A large Gentleman arrived with a key and opened the very noisy gates.

"What are u doing down there boy, get up and show some respect." He barked loudly.

He rose to his feet hastily not wanting to anger the man further.

"I'm sorry sir" He mumbled pushing his dirty blond hair out of his eyes so he could see the man better.

"Hmmm do you have a name child?" He asked.

"Sharpe sir, me names Richard Sharpe" He answered quickly.

**What does everyone think? Should I continue? I know it was short but this is where I wanted to leave this chapter. Review if u liked it or have any questions.**


	2. Orphanage

Richard gazed around the room with doubt, a large room it was but crammed inside were about 50 child sized wooden beds with only a thin grey sheet atop each one for bedding, Nearly every bed in the room had a boy in it but he followed the matron to one of the empty beds in the room.

"Breakfast is at 6am, you will be woken at 5.30 to give yer time to wash and dress yersen. One of the older lads will show yer whats what in the morning, I suggest yer get into bed like the others and catch some kip." She said leaving the room with her candle which was the only light in the dark room.

Richard didn't had never slept in a bed, never mind a bed of his own, he had slept on a palliase mattress with his mother on the floor of her brothel room, some nights if she had a gentlemen caller Richard would be forced to sleep on the floor in the hallway of the small hovel of a house on his own but sleep didn't come easy to him on those nights as the sounds coming from his mothers room of her either faking compliance or being beaten into submission scared him out of his wits. Usually he would awake on the mattress next to his mother once more as she had carried him in once the bloke had gone.

He climbed under the sheet on the bed and tried to ignore the sounds and smells of the other lads in the room. Eventually exhaustion won over his fear and he fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

A sharp ringing of a bell caused him to jump to his feet quicker than he had in his life. He looked around to see the other boys rubbing sleep out of their eyes and rising slowly from their beds.

"Eh we got us another newbie lads." A great big lad of 10 called out to the dorm.

"My name is Richard" He said quietly.

"Ooh err posh name for a stinky little brat like the rest of us." He cried.

"me mam called me dicky" Richard answered.

"Well we'll call yer newbie fer now and thats what yer'll answer to awight?" He said.

"boys u better get ter breakfast before Mr Cartwright sends yer to your lessons without it" Matron shouted. "Peters you're the prefect for this dormitory make sure their all downstairs in 5 minutes or I will make sure its your arse thats tanned after prayers." She continued.

A Boy who seemed incredibly old to Richard appeared " Come on lads wash yer 'ands an faces and put yer kecks on and line up by the door." He instructed.

* * *

At breakfast Richard found himself pushed into the back of the large queue of boys on the left side of the serving pot, girls on the other side he saw were just as shabby and thin as the rest of them. He received his thin gruel like porridge and sat down on a bench with some other small boys no better than toddlers as he knew they weren't capable of hurting him like the big boys who had bullied him.

After they had cleaned up breakfast they were sat down on the same benches for prayers which consisted of how they were all little sinners but if they asked for forgiveness the good lord would forgive them. Then after prayers those who had misbehaved since prayers the night before were given a hiding in front of everyone to set an example and lay fear into those who thought of rebelling.

Lessons for an hour afterwards which was an old man reading a passage of the bible out loud to them and asking a few brief questions verbally. After this they were sent into a yard for fresh air for an hour, this is when the real trouble started as there were no authority figures in the yard just the prefects.

Richard tried to run from the kids who started to circle round him and pinned him to the floor but he wasn't prepared for them to be so viscous as they ripped at his hair and laid their fists into him repeatedly. A prefect came up to them and shouted, "Leave the poor little bugger alone can't yer see he's got nothing same as the rest of us."

They let go of him and the prefect lifted him to his feet.

"Dont mind them they dont know no better." He said "they shant bother yer no more or ill tell mr Cartwright and they'll all get 6 of the best after prayers tonight." He explained.

* * *

After their time in the yard they were pulled in for 3 hours work in the main hall again sewing mail bags and splicing rope for the navy. It was tough work and hard on the eyes in the poorly lit room but it's how the workhouse made their money but at least as kids they got free time in the yard and an extra hour of bible teachings a day.

Dinner was served at 6pm and it was as poor as breakfast had been the children only receiving a watery vegetable soup and half a slice of stale bread with a cup of cold water to wash it down with but no one dared complain food was food to these half starved creatures.

There were more prayers after dinner and another public display of lashings with the cane for those who had been disobedient in any way to their betters and then another bible passage read aloud before the boys were made to go to bed at 7.30 pm.

This was how Richard Sharpe's life was to continue up until he reached the grand age of 12 when he could look for work outside the walls of the workhouse and its grim orphanage.

**Dull I know but that the point of this chapter.**


End file.
